As he stood by a swimming pool, Steven Rahn held his 2-year-old son and smiled for a photo he liked enough to share on Twitter.
“Pool day with my boy,” he posted, along with a thumbs-up.
Days later, Rahn’s family and the Paulding County community were mourning his sudden death from a herniated brain stem, a family friend said Monday.
Rahn was 29.
A Hiram High School graduate, Rahn attended the University of West Georgia, according to Robbie Finley, director for the Paulding Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Rahn was a teacher at East Paulding High School, where he was an assistant football coach and led the golf teams and girls basketball team.
It was a job that suited Rahn, who recently finished playing in a basketball league and was very active. But his family and faith came first, Finley said. Rahn and his wife, Kayla, were expecting their second son in September.
“Steven was doing it the right way,” Finley said Monday. “He loved his family fiercely, and he loved his job and the sports. He loved those kids the same way.”
Late Sunday, students organized a prayer vigil on the school’s football field. Monday afternoon, students, players and coaches again gathered to share memories of Rahn.
A Go Fund Me page was created for the Rahn family, where some posted memories of the coach.
“Coach Steve Rahn is leaving behind a beautiful legacy of kindness, love, mentoring young adults, and leading his precious family God's way,” one person wrote. “Steven will be SO missed.”
Visitation will be held Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. at NorthStar Church in Kennesaw, where Rahn was a member. The funeral will follow at the church at 1 p.m.
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